RICHARDSON—When God protected her family and spared their home from a tornado that destroyed houses up and down her street, Amanda Pritchard knew what God wanted her—and her church—to do.

“We just want to make sure everybody is nourished—emotionally and physically,” she said.

So, grills set up in her family’s front yard became the place where members of First Baptist Church in Richardson cooked meals and delivered them door-to-door throughout the storm-devastated neighborhood.

“I’m so thankful we didn’t have to focus on our own home, so we can be can be there for our neighbors—to walk with them through the experience and share their pain,” she said.

‘A tornado came tearing down my street’

Pritchard, marketing director at First Baptist Church in Richardson, had returned to her home near Richland College about 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 20 from a fund-raising event at church.

When she saw an initial weather alert on her cell phone, she dismissed it, thinking it was about a thunderstorm somewhere else in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“I was busy. I had pictures from the event I needed to post” on social media, she recalled.

A few minutes later, her husband, Scott Geddie, called to her attention a more urgent weather warning about a possible tornado.

Within a matter of minutes, the couple, their 12-year-old son and their 8-year-old daughter were huddled in a bathroom, with the children covered in a bathtub.

About 20 minutes after Pritchard received the first weather alert on her phone, “a tornado came tearing down my street,” she said.

She tried to comfort her terrified children.

“I told them: ‘What do we do when we are scared? God wants us to take our fears to him and put our trust in him.’ So, that’s when I started praying. I told our lead pastor later that’s when I learned about a whole new kind of praying—crazy scared mama prayers,” she said.

Assessing damage

Once the storm passed, Pritchard and her husband checked outside. The entire area was eerily dark, left without electricity.

“It was dark, so we couldn’t see much. But we knew it was bad,” she recalled. “We didn’t sleep much that night. The first thing the next morning, we went outside. It was far worse than we ever anticipated.”

An overturned car was in one neighbor’s front yard. One house had collapsed. Another house lost a roof. Trees had fallen on most homes.

“We were spared. There was not one shingle off of our house,” Pritchard said.

She noted one other bright spot in an otherwise dismal scene.

“Texas Baptist Men were on the spot, clearing debris,” she said.

‘Our community is broken’

As she and her husband gained their bearings, they began to take stock of their own experiences and to think about what their neighbors must have been feeling.

“We wanted coffee. We were desperate, tired parents. So, we could only imagine the overwhelming anxiety of other families who were waking up to far worse situations than we faced,” she said.

Her husband tried to pick up enough coffee and donuts at a nearby store to deliver to people on their street, but he discovered the shop was closed, due to lack of electricity.

Pritchard knew many of their neighbors would need meals later in the day. So, she contacted First Baptist in Richardson.

“I said: ‘We want to do a cook-out for our neighbors. Our community is broken,’” she recalled. She placed an order at a warehouse club for enough food to provide lunch for all the neighborhood. Student pastors from First Baptist delivered a large grill to their home, and they all went to work grilling hamburgers, hot dogs and vegetable burgers.

They served more than 150 people from the family’s front lawn.

‘Being the hands and feet of Jesus’

At the church’s request, a local restaurant donated enough pizzas to serve all the residents in the neighborhood—as well as volunteers and laborers working in the area—the next meal.

“Our lead pastor was delivering pizza to men working on rooftops,” Pritchard said.

Others donated additional food, and church members helped cook and serve.

For the noon meal on Tuesday, the ministerial staff from First Baptist in Richardson arrived to grill hamburgers and hot dogs for 120 people.

“I knew we had an incredible church, but it’s amazing to see them in action,” Pritchard said. “It’s wonderful seeking so many people being the hands and feet of Jesus, serving our community.”

While Pritchard provided some coordination for the church’s involvement, the ministry developed organically.

“We didn’t have any kind of contingency plan,” she said. “I already have a checklist in mind for the next time anything like this happens.”

On Oct. 22, plans already were in place for the next day’s meals. Beyond that, Pritchard and her fellow church members just wanted to continue to be “a comforting presence” in their community—whatever that might involve.

“We’re just taking it one day at a time,” she said. “Each day is a new day.”

FORT WORTH—If Texas Baptist ministers who have felt distanced from a seminary they once called their own notice a change in its leaders’ “tone” and “tenor”—but not in the institution’s “lockstep” commitment to the Southern Baptist Convention’s doctrinal statement—then Adam Greenway will feel like he has made progress.

In February, trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary elected Greenway as the school’s ninth president. He assumed the president’s office less than one year after the board cut all ties with former President Paige Patterson, who was accused of mishandling reports of sexual abuse and of using demeaning language toward women.

“I was fortunate to become the president of an institution filled with opportunities cleverly disguised as problems,” Greenway said.

Rather than focusing on difficult days in the seminary’s recent past, Greenway looks back to the vision of founder B.H. Carroll. He wants to connect to what he calls Southwestern Seminary’s tradition as “the big-tent seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention” and connect personally with “legacy servants” on the faculty who influenced generations of Texas Baptist ministers.

“As an alumnus, the first alumnus to serve as president here in the last quarter-century, I am deeply indebted to and deeply committed to the best of our history, heritage and legacy,” he said in an Oct. 10 interview.

Greenway said he recognized “our seminary in more recent years in both perception and, to some extent, some reality has been identified with positions that were more narrow than the Baptist Faith & Message,” the Southern Baptist confession of faith.

Four pegs of the ‘big tent’

Both in the news conference immediately after his election as president and in his first chapel sermon, he referred to a “big-tent” vision for Southwestern Seminary.

He envisions the tent as anchored by “four pegs”—a high view of Scripture, confessional fidelity, Christ’s Great Commission and cooperation.

Greenway affirmed the Baptist Faith & Message—most recently revised in 2000—as a doctrinal guide for the seminary. The most recently adopted version of the confession limited the role of pastor to men. It also deleted a sentence from the 1963 version’s statement on Scripture: “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.”

“Every iteration of the BFM since 1925 has been the doctrinal position of Southwestern Seminary,” he said. “We are in lockstep solidarity with our convention of churches in terms of where the convention has said we are going to stand theologically.”

However, he added, SBC confessions of faith historically have focused on areas of agreement, while remaining silent on issues where Southern Baptists have disagreed, such as details regarding the End Times or adherence at all points to Calvinist theology.

“For example, on issues related to Calvinism and Reformed theology, the Baptist Faith and Message does not take a position on the extent or the intent of the atonement or on the irresistibility or resistibility of grace,” he said, noting the seminary should “not be defined by” those matters.

Greenway personally embraces the term “inerrancy” to describe his view of the Bible, and he noted the seminary’s board of trustees have affirmed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy as an interpretive guide.

However, he acknowledged the history associated with that term in Southern Baptist Convention life—particularly during divisive times beginning 40 years ago when it was used as a rallying cry by one group.

“For some, that language became politically weaponized and personally problematic,” he said.

A faculty member’s adherence to the ideas about biblical authority in the Chicago Statement and a willingness to affirm the high view of Scripture it expresses are more important than the use of the terms “inerrant” or “inerrancy,” he noted.

Not part of the Baptist battles

Greenway’s predecessor as president was one of the key architects of what supporters called the “conservative resurgence” and critics called the “fundamentalist takeover” of the SBC.

In contrast, Greenway was an infant when the “Baptist Battles” began in 1979. He surrendered to the ministry as a high school student in 1994—the same year the Southwestern Seminary trustees summarily fired Russell Dilday as president for criticizing the political movement in the SBC.

So, Greenway noted, he “had nothing to do” with the denominational conflict and events that damaged the relationship between many Texas Baptists and Southwestern Seminary.

“I can’t change the past, but let’s change the future together,” he said.

He pointed to the deep “love and affinity” Texas Baptist ministers historically have felt toward Southwestern Seminary.

“That also means the wounds and the hurts go far deeper. They are far more existential—far more painful,” he said.

As a result, some Texas Baptist churches chose to defund some or all SBC agencies and institutions—including Southwestern Seminary.

Even so, through August this year, Texas Baptist churches directed more than $6.9 million to the Southern Baptist Convention, which means the SBC Executive Committee would have forwarded about $278,000 to Southwestern Seminary.

Greenway expressed thankfulness for the $7.5 million Southwestern Seminary receives through the Cooperative Program and his desire to promote cooperation.

Emphasize residential theological education

He also mentioned his desire to emphasize residential theological education “in the context of a learning, worshipping, serving community” and give greater attention to the master’s level degrees the seminary offers to equip students for ministry in churches.

Last year, Southwestern Seminary reported 1,160 full-time equivalent enrollment, including students in the undergraduate and certificate programs at Scarborough College. Greenway noted the figure was about 2,300 when he graduated in 2002, before the seminary offered an undergraduate program.

When Robert A. Baker’s history of Southwestern Seminary, Tell the Generations Following, was published in 1983, he reported 3,317 full-time enrollment for the 1981-82 academic year. At that time, he noted, the seminary’s leaders were considering whether to cap enrollment at 4,000 students each year until the seminary could increase its resources.

“The enrollment is nowhere near where we want it to be,” Greenway said.

Reach out to retired faculty

A priority for Greenway—and “pastoral burden” he has felt—since he assumed the seminary presidency has been reconnecting with former faculty and staff. He wants current students to recognize their contributions.

“We are living in houses we did not build, and we are drinking from wells we did not dig,” he said.

As part of that initiative to reach out to former faculty and staff, he invited what he calls the “legacy servants” to an event at the seminary in early September. Al Fasol, distinguished professor emeritus, preached in chapel that day.

Greenway noted he also has met individually with retired faculty—some of whom left with hard feelings toward the seminary—to express appreciation for their years of service.

“It’s never the wrong thing to do what’s right, even if it’s years after it should have been done,” he said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A date was corrected in the 8th paragraph from the end after the article first was posted.

MANSFIELD—Michael Evans, senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, will be nominated for a second term as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Carlos Francis, youth pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church for the past decade, will nominate Evans at Texas Baptists’ annual meeting in Waco, Nov. 17-19.

‘Don’t think God is finished with him’

Francis praised Evans as “an amazing man of God” and his mentor in Christian ministry, as well as “a great father, great husband and great family man.”

“He is a father figure to me, in my life and ministry,” Francis said. “He is a friend to me, a friend to anybody he interacts with, and especially a friend to pastors.”

Evans deserves another term as BGCT president because “there are more relationships to build” as he represents Texas Baptists around the state, Francis added.

“I don’t think God is finished with him in that position,” he said.

‘Share our good news stories’

Evans agreed to allow his nomination to continue the unfinished business of being a “goodwill ambassador” for Christ and for Texas Baptists.

Texas Baptists hold a distinctive position “not too far to the left and not too far to the right” as they seek to be guided by a commitment to obey Scripture, he said.

“We need to continue to share with the state of Texas and with those who don’t know us yet our positive agenda as people committed both to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment,” he said.

“Texas is a big state, and you can only cover so much in one year. In the coming year, I hope to have the opportunity to share our good news stories with the other half of the state.”

Evans added he wants to help connect ministers to the resources available through the BGCT Executive Board staff.

“I want to encourage those who are trying to do ministry who don’t see the opportunity to fulfill their own sense of mission,” he said.

Leader in church and community

Evans is a Houston native. He served nine years in the U.S. Navy as a reserve chaplain and also worked in chaplaincy at Dallas Children’s Hospital.

He has led Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield more than a quarter-century. From 2001 to 2006, he worked on the BGCT Executive Board staff as director of African American ministries while continuing to serve his church in Mansfield.

In July, the congregation marked the grand opening of Bethlehem’s Pioneer Place—an affordable housing complex for senior adults that is located across the street from the church campus.

Evans has served in his community as an administrator with the Tarrant County College District and on the board of trustees of the Mansfield Independent School District.

He founded several community service organizations—the BBC Educational Enrichment Corporation, the Hope House Community Service Network and the Historic West Mansfield Texas Community Development Corporation.

He also directs Life Touch Cottage Ministries, which serves children and youth in West Africa.

Evans earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, a Master of Divinity degree from Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary.

He is the author of Leadership in the Black Church: Guidance in the Midst of Changing Demographics.

He and his wife Lisa have two adult children.

FLOWER MOUND (BP)—The Village Church asserted it is not liable for damages suffered by a woman who alleges she was sexually abused at age 11 by a youth pastor who served the church at the time.

The Flower Mound church also challenges the plaintiff’s claim of more than $1 million in damages, citing provisions in the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code, as well as the Texas Charitable Immunity Act.

The Village Church filed its legal response Aug. 23 in Dallas County Court.

The plaintiff, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe One, accuses The Village Church of negligently breaching its duty to care for her and failing to “implement reasonable policies and procedures to detect and prevent” sexual abuse,” as well as failing “to adhere to the policies and procedures it had in place at the time” to prevent the alleged abuse.

The alleged perpetrator Matthew Tonne has a Sept. 4 trial date in Dallas County District Court on a related charge of indecent contact with a child. Tonne has been out of jail on a $25,000 bond since Jan. 9, and his initial court date of Jan. 29 has been rescheduled 12 times, according to court documents.

If the charges the plaintiff alleges are proven to have occurred, The Village Church said Aug. 23, then the church is not liable for “the intentional criminal acts of its employee” because those acts would be outside of the course and scope of his employment.

The church also cited both the U.S. Constitution and the Texas in arguing against exemplary or punitive damages.

Represented by Middlebrook and Goodspeed, the church urged the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

EUSTACE—This summer, 16,871 boxes of food arrived at the homes of Henderson County schoolchildren in East Texas at no cost to their families.

Each box contained enough nutritious food for five breakfasts, five midday or evening meals, and five snacks.

“The fact that these food boxes were delivered directly to the parent’s address—that’s the game-changer,” said Coy Holcombe, superintendent of the Eustace Independent School District. “It made all the difference that they were delivered directly to each student’s house.”

Holcombe noted numerous reports from mothers whose children eagerly awaited the arrival of each food box.

“It was just like Christmas morning, and it happened every week,” he said.

Pilot program in selected rural counties

The 6,690 boxes for students in his district were among 32,596 boxes of food delivered to students in selected rural counties throughout Texas who participated in the Meals to You pilot program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sponsored the program, spearheaded by the Texas Hunger Initiative at Baylor University.

“The Summer Food Service program is fairly easy to administer in urban areas” where students can walk to neighborhood churches, recreation centers or other nearby locations for free summer lunches, said Bill Ludwig, regional administrator for the USDA. “But we’ve struggled with what to do for rural kids.”

When the Texas Hunger Initiative proposed a program to deliver food boxes directly to the homes of rural students, leaders recognized the challenges. So, they enlisted the expertise of McLane Hunger Solutions, a division of McLane Global, to guide the logistics of packaging and delivery.

‘Game-changer for rural America’

“When we work together, we can solve the problems that seem to be pressing in on us,” said Jeremy Everett, founding executive director of the Texas Hunger Initiative.

Brandon Lipps, acting deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services at the USDA, noted proposals typically take a long time to be approved in Washington, D.C., but Meals to You was expedited.

“When you see the opportunity for innovation like this, you don’t need to wait two years to make it happen,” Lipps said. “This can be the game-changer for rural America.”

The Meals to You pilot project received final approval just two weeks before school dismissed for the summer, but school administrators immediately made every effort to communicate its availability to families in their districts, said Craig Nash, child hunger outreach specialist for the Texas Hunger Initiative’s Waco office.

Grateful community fills school cafetorium

Parents and community leaders who filled the cafetorium at Eustace Primary School on Aug. 13 for a roundtable event with the sponsors expressed appreciation to their local school district and the agencies that made Meals to You possible.

Under the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, school districts with a high percentage of students who would qualify for free or reduced meals are eligible to serve all enrolled students. So, the Eustace Independent School District was able to offer the Meals to You program to all its students.

“We were so blessed to have been able to participate in the program,” Holcombe told the representatives from the USDA and the Texas Hunger Initiative. “I hope you can continue it and can expand it.”

Mothers describe the impact

Several single mothers who benefited from Meals to You spoke at the event in Eustace. While they were aware of a summer feeding program at Eustace High School, none had participated in it. One of the mothers mentioned how impractical is was to load her three children into a car with no working air-conditioning to travel at least 15 or 20 minutes into town.

In contrast, they described how eager their children were to receive the weekly boxes of food—particularly the cereal, milk and fruit juice.

A teacher in the audience whose children participated in Meals to You described how she struggled with summer grocery bills in recent years. This year, her grocery costs were cut by more than half—and her children appreciated the fruit juice boxes and snacks Meals to You provided.

“A huge bonus was that the kids said it was ‘cool food, not the stuff Mom buys,’” she said.

One mother noted the UPS delivery man “seemed overwhelmed” by all the boxes he was delivering this summer.

Lipps noted he hopes in coming years “the UPS guys in other states will be having fits with this,” as Meals to You expands in other rural regions.

Reflecting on what he heard during the roundtable session in Eustace, Lipps said: “It’s obvious the impact this program had on hungry children in this rural community. I hope we have the opportunity to replicate it around the country.”

In a state where the majority of students in public schools are Hispanic and where Hispanics are projected to outnumber Anglos in the general population within the next three years, Texas Baptist universities are preparing for change.

During the 2017-18 academic year, Hispanics represented a majority of the student population at one school that partners with the Baptist General Convention of Texas—Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio, where they comprise 54.9 percent of total enrollment.

Two other universities—Houston Baptist and Wayland Baptist—qualified as Hispanic Serving Institutions, a designation reserved for schools that reach at least 25 percent Hispanic enrollment. Hispanics represented 35.7 percent of the total enrollment at HBU and 32.3 percent at Wayland.

Universities and colleges know they become more attractive to Hispanic students if they achieve the HSI label, and schools will not spurn the grants following that label, either. Eligible universities classified as Hispanic Service Institutions qualify for federal grants to provide academic and social support to Hispanic students.

Five Texas Baptist schools—the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Howard Payne University, Hardin-Simmons University, Dallas Baptist University and Baylor University—qualified as Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions.

Hispanic students represented 21 percent of total enrollment at UMHB, 20.7 percent at Howard Payne, 18.9 percent at Hardin-Simmons, 15.9 percent at DBU and 15.2 percent at Baylor, according to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

Baylor seeks to support first-generation students

Although 51 percent of all students in the state’s public schools are Hispanic, only 27 percent of Hispanics in Texas have college degrees. That percentage goes down to 22 in the nation, said Mito Diaz-Espinoza, program manager of Student Success-First in Line at Baylor University.

Hispanics represent a significant segment of first-generation college students, he noted. At Baylor, about one-fifth of the students are first-generation students. More than one-third—36 percent—of the first-generation students at Baylor are Hispanics.

“We’re a support unit for first-generation college students,” Diaz-Espinoza said. “This is for any students whose parents have not received a four-year bachelor’s degree.”

First in Line offers scholarships, programs that match students with peer leaders, as well as faculty, staff and mentors who wish to support first-generation students, he said.

“We have to go after first-generation students if we want to make any kind of real difference in our changing demographics,” Diaz-Espinoza observed.

Coaching students through the ‘rough patches’

College life requires meeting deadlines, jumping through hoops and balancing five things at once—including finances, Diaz-Espinoza commented.

“We tell them, ‘This is the game of college, and these are the steps you take.’ So, we teach them what it means to navigate this place and then coach them through the rough patches,” he said.

First-generation students need support since they struggle finding a home when universities already have terminology unfamiliar to the students, he noted. Terms like “provost,” “credit hours,” or even “dining hall” seem so foreign back home, students feel they cannot share all of what they experience in college with their families, Diaz-Espinoza said.

Many of the first-generation students came from academic programs where they excelled, and at college, they find themselves in a setting where they feel alienated, he noted.

“In their family, they are typically seen as kind of the smart ones or the good ones because they always did very good in class and succeeded easily in high-school,” he said.

“So, for them to fail a chemistry class when they never got anything lower than a 99 in high school chemistry, then that attacks their identity a little bit more. They may say, ‘Maybe I’m not smart enough for college,’ or ‘Maybe I don’t belong here,’ or ‘Maybe there’s a reason no one in family ever went to college.’”

Not only do first-generation college students need lessons on the different cultural nuances they find while studying at the university, but sometimes faculty and staff need lessons on cross-cultural communication, Diaz-Espinoza added.

“I try to help professors understand that at some point, they were the first ones to do something in their family,” he said. “Maybe their parents did go to college, but they were the first ones to pursue graduate school, first to be a college professor or first to do research for a living.”

Mary Herridge, senior director of Baylor’s admissions counseling, pointed out how vital it is for recruiters to connect in language and culture with the groups that make up the majority of public school students. Almost a third of the admissions recruitment team now speaks Spanish, she said.

Diaz-Espinoza also noted the need for more diversity among university faculty and staff. More faculty and staff who look like the students they serve must be the next step, he insisted.

Howard Payne University connects with Hispanic alumni

BGCT-related educational institutions have adopted a variety of approaches to attract Hispanic students and respond to their distinctive needs.

When Cory Hines became president of Howard Payne University, the school renewed its efforts to support Hispanic students, said Kevin Kirk, associate vice president for enrollment management.

“Hispanic students have historically been a part of Howard Payne,” Kirk said, noting HPU has produced a significant number of Hispanic Texas Baptist leaders through the years.

Soon after Hines arrived as president, he scheduled meetings with Hispanic alumni and Hispanic Baptist leaders who are also friends of the university, Kirk noted.

The meetings served as starting points for the university to improve understanding of ways in which HPU can connect with Hispanic students and offer them support as they pursue their degree, Kirk said.

“It’s always been such an important part of our culture, to be that Christian higher education choice for Hispanic students,” Kirk said. “With Dr. Hines’s arrival, there’s been a renewal of that sense of identity in order to be involved in all we can be, make the connections we need so Texas Baptist Hispanic students are aware of us and the opportunities they have here.”

Over the past decade, students of non-Anglo backgrounds at the university increased from 26 percent to 54 percent, he said. He added 27 percent of the 246 incoming students starting last academic year were Hispanic.

A close-knit Christ-centered academic community like Howard Payne can be the type of environment many Hispanic students look for, Kirk commented.

“We want to be the right choice for Hispanic students,” he insisted.

DBU wants Hispanic students to thrive

Dallas Baptist University has a similar aspiration—“to be the premier school for Hispanic students,” according to David Reyes, director of student life at DBU.

The vision began when Gary Cook was DBU president and sought to increase the number of Hispanic students. Cook transitioned to chancellor of DBU in 2015, but the vision continued to flourish when Adam Wright became the university’s president in 2016, Reyes noted.

“The goal is not only to see how we can welcome more Hispanic students here. But once they’re here, we want to see how they can thrive,” Reyes said.

DBU’s vision for Hispanic students requires cultural awareness, Reyes said.

“We understand we are not only recruiting the individual students, but we are also recruiting their families,” he commented.

In 2015, DBU began awarding two scholarships every year to Hispanic students, covering 50 percent tuition and 100 percent room and board. The first students who received the scholarships, Bethany Morales and Harold Aguirre, graduated from DBU in May.

DBU hired Aguirre as soon as he graduated to work with the admissions office. Reyes hopes

other Hispanic students find in him the support they need to understand what college education demands and the support DBU could offer them.

“Harold is an example of the education DBU is committed to give,” Reyes said. “With him and through our partnerships, we just want to be at the forefront of what is happening.

“Our heart is just to support students starting school, getting involved, developing their leadership skill, finishing school and using their skills for the church.”

‘A direct reflection of God’s kingdom’

Several schools echoed the idea that the desire for an increasingly diverse student body grows out of the institution’s Christian mission.

“At East Texas Baptist University, we believe that a diverse community is a direct reflection of God’s kingdom,” said Kevin Caffey, ETBU’s vice president for enrollment and administrative affairs.

“We devised a comprehensive plan to enhance the institution’s efforts to expand the Hispanic campus population,” Caffey said. “We recognized that this vision would necessitate a campus-wide commitment to support Hispanic student success.”

That means providing a welcoming atmosphere where students feel at home—where they experience familia.

“Hispanic students at ETBU can expect to be surrounded by faculty, staff, and peers, who appreciate the Hispanic culture,” said Ana Asencio, ETBU freshman admissions counselor. “They will be welcomed by mentors, who encourage Hispanic students to embrace and utilize their culture and diversity to contribute to the richness and blessing of ETBU’s colorful campus fabric.”

Logsdon seeks to serve underserved population

Since its beginning, Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary in San Antonio has prioritized reaching underserved populations—particularly Hispanics.

Wally Goodman, director of Logsdon Seminary programs in San Antonio, started his position in 2010 after working at Baptist University of the Américas. At BUA, Goodman learned about generational and cultural differences among Hispanics. That knowledge has served him well at Logsdon’s San Antonio campus, where a third of the student population is Hispanic.

Since 2011, Logsdon in San Antonio has grown to offer the three master’s degrees offered at the main campus in Abilene, as well as the Doctor of Ministry degree.

At first, the growth came with some challenges in terms of class scheduling and location of the campus, Goodman said. But now students face a different challenge in terms of education in a multicultural setting, with a student body that is one-third Hispanic, one-third African American and one-third Anglo.

“The students get along well and they love each other,” Goodman said. “They love the diversity, and I think it’s helped them be more sensitive.”

His background at BUA and now at Logsdon in San Antonio give Goodman an appreciation for the multicultural setting in which the church will exist, he said. But that also means universities and seminaries most prepare students to function and minister in multicultural settings, he remarked.

For the first time last year, the majority of students at both Logsdon Seminary campuses consisted of non-Anglos, said Meredith Stone, associate dean for academics and assistant professor of Scripture and ministry at Logsdon Seminary. Across all campuses of Logsdon seminary, 21 percent of the students identified as Hispanics, she noted.

Because of its student diversity, the Association of Theological Schools invited Logsdon and 19 other schools to be part of a project called Cultivating Educational Capacity Dissemination Conference. The two-year program aims at increasing the effectiveness of ATS schools in educating racial/ethnic students and all students in cultural competence.

Baptist universities and seminaries benefit when they prepare for students of multicultural backgrounds who plan to work in multicultural settings, Goodman observed.

“We are all well served when we learn to relate beyond our cultural background,” he said.

DALLAS—Two people of faith—but not necessarily the same faith—who hold drastically different political opinions talked for 40 minutes in a Dallas Baptist University recording studio. In the process, they discovered more common ground than they expected.

And it didn’t just occur once. It happened multiple times.

“We’ve heard things like: ‘I thought I would be with somebody really different from me. We are so much more alike than we are different.’ People see the connections more than they see the differences,” said Chelsea Aguilera, outreach specialist for the One Small Step project of StoryCorps.

‘Listening is an act of love’

Since 2003, StoryCorps has facilitated and collected interviews involving about 500,000 people throughout the United States. Digital files of all the interviews are archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Excerpts from a tiny percentage of the recorded interviews are aired during “Morning Edition” on National Public Radio.

“It helps us remember we all have a story. We have something to share,” Aguilera said. “Listening is an act of love.”

Last year, StoryCorps launched its One Small Step initiative to facilitate civil dialogue by bringing together people who disagree politically for facilitated conversations.

Recently, One Small Step piloted an effort in North Texas focused specifically on the intersection of faith and politics. Aguilera worked with Theo Brown, director of outreach to faith-based organizations at the National Institute for Civil Discourse. Together, they enlisted people of faith in the Dallas-Fort Worth area who view political issues differently to record facilitated conversations with each other.

‘Disagree without demonizing’

Brown contacted a variety of religious leaders in North Texas, including Jana Jackson at Dallas Baptist Association, to promote the initiative. In turn, Jackson spoke to Nick Pitts, executive director of the Institute for Global Engagement at DBU, to ask if the university might be able to partner with One Small Step.

After talking with Brown and Aguilera, Pitts soon determined the project fit well within his institute’s goal of fostering engagement in the public square from a biblical perspective and its values of thoughtful consideration and gracious civility.

“I have been alarmed by a statistic that one in six Americans has lost a friendship because of differences regarding the 2016 presidential election,” Pitts said.

“We should be able to disagree without demonizing those we see as being on the other side politically. The love we are to have as Christians is not contingent upon agreeing with others.

“We should recognize every person is made in the image of God, and is worthy of respect. We demonstrate respect when are willing to hear what the other person has to say.”

Faith-focused project piloted in Dallas

So, DBU allowed One Small Step to use its on-campus recording studio. The faith-focused One Small Step pilot project recorded at DBU included about two-dozen conversations involving Anglo, African-American, Hispanic and Asian individuals from at least a half-dozen Protestant denominations, as well as Roman Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim and Hindu participants.

Individuals who wanted to participate completed an online screening questionnaire. Producers then matched them with someone from a different faith, a drastically different political perspective or both.

In each instance, a facilitator prompted discussion with a variety of questions, including:

• How does your faith shape the way you see the world?
• Have you had any experiences through your faith that have shaped how you think about a particular issue or problem in our country?
• Have your political beliefs ever been in conflict with your faith?
• Is there anything that troubles you about the way people who share your beliefs communicate them to others?
• Is there something about my beliefs that you just can’t understand?

Near the end of the conversations, participants were asked what surprised them and what they learned, as well as, “What is one thing you respect about the way I see the world?”

Baptists involved in conversations

In most instances, the individuals who recorded conversations did not know each other prior to the recording sessions.

Jackson from DBA was an exception. She recorded a conversation with Dabney Dwyer, community outreach liaison with the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. The two already knew each other through their involvement on the faith community action team of the Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions.

Jackson is a member of Cliff Temple Baptist Church in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, and Dwyer is a member of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Dallas’ Lake Highlands neighborhood. Jackson affirmed both she and Dwyer are motivated by a shared faith in Christ.

While the two would tend to vote for candidates of different parties in most—but not all—cases, Jackson noted, “I don’t feel like I belong anywhere politically.”

She particularly expressed frustration when people assume they already know where she stands on every political issue because she identifies as an evangelical Christian.

After some One Small Step recording sessions, people who had never met before and who came from drastically different backgrounds enjoyed their conversations so much, they exchanged contact information with their dialogue partners and pledged to keep in touch, Aguilera noted.

Pitts understood that experience. He recorded a conversation with a North Texas attorney who is a Reform Jew.

“We plan to go get coffee and continue the conversation,” he said.

WACO—More than 2,700 members of the “Baylor Family”—including students, alumni, major donors and former regents—have signed an open letter asking Baylor University to recognize LGBTQ student organizations.

Outcry over a speech sponsored by the Baylor chapter of Young Americans for Freedom sparked the online letter to President Linda Livingstone and Vice President for Student Life Kevin Jackson.

“We ask that the university reconsider its exclusion of student organizations that are designed to provide a community for individuals in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) and allied community,” the letter states.

In turn, that appeal prompted an opposing online petition titled “Save Baylor Traditions,” which urges the university to “stand strong and refuse to abdicate the traditional Christian values for which it has historically stood.”

“The purpose of this petition is to keep Baylor from changing a policy which would in all likelihood result in it losing its status as a traditional Christian institution, thereby stripping it of that which sets it apart,” the petition states.

Baylor policy

Baylor’s statement on human sexuality says: “Baylor University welcomes all students into a safe and supportive environment in which to discuss and learn about a variety of issues, including those of human sexuality. The university affirms the biblical understanding of sexuality as a gift from God. Christian churches across the ages and around the world have affirmed purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman as the biblical norm. Temptations to deviate from this norm include both heterosexual acts outside of marriage and homosexual behavior. It is thus expected that Baylor students will not participate in advocacy groups which promote understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching.”

The university’s student conduct policy also states that Baylor “expects that each Baylor student will conduct himself or herself in accordance with Christian principles as commonly perceived by Texas Baptists.”

Controversy began to swirl when the Baylor Young Americans for Freedom invited Matt Walsh, a writer for Daily Wire, to speak April 9 on “The War on Reality: Why the Left Has Set Out to Redefine Life, Gender and Marriage.” His scheduled appearance prompted an earlier online petition urging that “harmful hate speech” be kept off the Baylor campus.

Call for change

The subsequent open letter calling for a change in policy regarding student organizations included the preface: “We are not protesting Matt Walsh coming to Baylor University. We are using his invitation to speak as an opportunity to achieve long overdue change to the university’s exclusion of LGBTQ student groups.”

The letter asserts Baylor “continues to deny applications for student organizations that would serve as a community for LGBTQ students, such as the Baylor Sexual Identity Forum, to be official campus groups.”

The letter acknowledges “that allowing our LGBTQ students and their allies to organize official student organizations would represent significant change for Baylor University’s current practices.”

However, petitioners insist policies allowing dancing on campus and permitting African-American students to enroll also represented major changes.

“As members of the Baylor family who love Baylor and believe in its future, our request is simple: let us not have that unfortunate chapter in Baylor’s history repeat itself, requiring us to look back in a few years and realize that we were on the wrong side of an issue of basic compassion and human dignity,” the online letter states.

When asked to comment, a Baylor spokesperson simply responded that “the university is aware of the letter.”

Call to maintain traditional position

The competing “Save Baylor Traditions” online petition asserts if the university chartered an LGBTQ organization, it would “be going against the official position of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.”

On several occasions, the BGCT has gone on record affirming a traditional view on marriage and biblical sexual ethics. Messengers to the 2016 BGCT annual meeting approved a motion declaring “any church which affirms any sexual relationship outside the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman be considered outside of harmonious cooperation” with the convention.

“It is certainly within the best interest of the university to abide by traditional Christian principles and remain in good standing with the BGCT,” the online petition states. “If this is unacceptable to some, they are free to associate themselves with a school which more closely aligns with their position.”

LONGVIEW—Friends and admirers gathered at First Baptist Church in Longview April 8 to remember Fabio Giménez as one who went from being a renowned professional soccer player to being a person known for his desire to serve God.

A lawn mowing accident April 5 took the life of the 50-year-old Argentina-born pastor of Puertas Abiertas, First Baptist’s Spanish-speaking congregation.

More than 1,500 people filled the church’s sanctuary to remember and celebrate the life of Giménez, who is survived by his wife, Dora and their three sons, Tomas, Valentin and Juan Manuel.

Soccer player became known for his faith

“His life served as a testimony for many others,” said longtime friend Chicho Añez, pastor of Iglesia Puertas Abiertas in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

Giménez and Añez met when Giménez played for Oriente Petrolero, Santa Cruz’ soccer team, in 2004.

In his professional career Giménez had struggled with addiction, but his life started changing in the early 1990s when he started attending church.

“I started little by little [while playing] in Uruguay, but I completely gave my life to the Lord in ’94,” said Giménez in 1998.

As a nationally known soccer player in Bolivia, the news of his faith quickly spread throughout the country—not only because of his fame, but also because he shared Christ’s message with any opportunity he had, Añez noted.

“He had to preach. He just had to,” Añez said. “Any time he scored goals, he would lift up his jersey and showed a shirt underneath with messages that read ‘God is faithful’ or ‘I belong to God.’”

The Giménez family still keeps a copy of an article written about him with the headline: “Does it matter if your face is seen? For Fabio Giménez it only matters that Jesus lives.” The article includes a photo of him covering his head with the jersey and showing the message he wrote on his shirt.

“He always used any possible method to preach, and for many years the main one was soccer,” his son Valentin said.

After starting his career in Argentina, Giménez played for teams in Colombia, Uruguay, Bolivia and the United States.

“As a family, we moved with him everywhere he had to go,” Valentin said. “We moved at least 25 times.”

Passion for spreading the gospel

In 2007, Giménez retired from soccer and continued his passion to spread the gospel.

Along with Añez, Giménez founded Iglesia Puertas Abiertas, which this year had its 10th anniversary.

Giménez first interacted with First Baptist in Longview in 2014 when he started coming to the United States to direct soccer camps. That’s when he met Cary Hilliard, then pastor of the church, said Angela Webster, the children’s minister at First Baptist.

“He agreed to run those soccer camps only if he could use that time to also share the gospel,” Webster said. “Even though he was famous, he was very humble and only wanted to serve.”

Hilliard had a vision to reach Hispanics in and around Longview, and at the same time, God started to give Giménez another vision, Añez said. Puertas Abiertas started while Giménez traveled in and out of Longview and held Skype sessions with the few new church members there, he noted.

Giménez and his family left Bolivia in 2015 to move to Longview, where he joined the staff at First Baptist.

Puertas Abiertas of Longview began with only six people, but in four years it has grown to more than 250 members, Webster said.

“The willingness he had to serve others attracted many people,” Valentin said. “With his service, he shared a message of love.”

As a father, Giménez did not let a day go by without showing his sons he loved them, as well as showing them the love God had for them, Valentin recalled.

Even if he or other people were to fail them, Valentin said, Giménez taught him and his brothers to know God’s love for them would not fail.

The example he provided his sons was the same he offered the church he led, Webster said.

International impact

People in several countries were impacted by the testimony of Giménez, Añez said. The memorial service in Longview not only drew friends from throughout East Texas and out-of-state admirers from Louisiana, Florida and California, but also people from Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia.

The family received online messages from people who were impacted by his life, and all of them thanked Giménez for the love he gave them, Valentin remarked.

First Baptist in Longview and Puertas Abiertas had planned to hold a joint worship service April 7, and Giménez was scheduled to preach. In advance, he sent the church’s staff the sermon notes he would use, which focused on Acts 13:36, Webster said.

Giménez planned to preach about leaving a legacy of faith, hope and love, which is precisely what he did, she added.

Valentin noted his father had devoted the last 25 years to proclaiming the gospel to as many people as possible, and he continued to do so even after his death. Between those who attended the memorial service and an international audience who viewed it online, thousands heard the good news of Christ, he observed.

“He wanted to live every minute of his life for God,” Valentin said. “And I think in many ways he saved his best play until the end. … At the end, he scored the goal of his life.”

DALLAS—The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board unanimously voted to renew its partnership with a national organization that helps churches reduce the risk of sexual abuse.

The board authorized a $100,000 allocation from an endowment fund’s earnings to make training and resources from MinistrySafe available to Texas Baptist churches for the next three years.

The MinistrySafe system includes awareness training, a “Skillful Screening” process for churches as they evaluate job applicants and volunteers, recommended policies and procedures for congregations, background checks, and tools for monitoring and oversight.

More than 1,100 trained in three years

Since the BGCT initially entered into a relationship with the national provider three years ago, 1,181 pastors, church leaders, state convention staff and volunteers have received live or online MinistrySafe sexual abuse prevention training.

Katie Swafford with Texas Baptists’ Counseling Services reported at least 177 BGCT-affiliated churches have participated in one of 19 regional training events.

The $100,000 allocation from the J.K. Wadley Endowment Fund’s earnings will enable Texas Baptists not only to provide training to additional churches, but also offer advanced “Skillful Screening” training for individuals who already completed the basic course, develop additional livestream training online, expand offerings to meet the needs of ministers who serve bivocationally and update resources at Texas Baptists’ MinistrySafe webpage.

In addition to the $100,000 allocation for MinistrySafe, the board also approved additional allocations from available J.K. Wadley Endowment Fund earnings—$150,000 for maintenance of collegiate ministries buildings, $150,000 for Baptist Student Ministries campus missionary interns, $102,000 for a multicultural missionary and $50,000 for western heritage churches.

The world is watching

The week before the BGCT Executive Board meeting, an investigative report by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News revealed about 380 ministers and volunteers in Southern Baptist churches sexually abused more than 700 people in the last 20 years. More of the offenders who pleaded guilty or were convicted of sexual offenses were from Texas than from any other state, the newspapers reported.

“The eyes of the world are upon us—seeing both the good and the bad,” BGCT President Michael Evans reminded the board.

Evans, senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, said Christians always must evaluate their public witness in light of the question, “When a person stands before you, can they see Jesus?”

One-time bonus approved

At the recommendation of its finance committee, the board approved up to $1.2 million from income generated by the Borchers Trust to provide a one-time bonus to BGCT employees in mid-June to prevent a hardship as the convention changes its pay cycle.

The revised cycle moves from 24 pay periods per year to 26 and from paying currently to paying in arrears. The bonus amounts to about 7 percent of net pay, and it is intended to prevent employees from missing a paycheck when the BGCT shifts from paying currently to paying in arrears.

The change in the employee pay cycle coincides with a change in the work schedule—from five eight-hour workdays a week to four nine-hour workdays Monday through Thursday and four hours working remotely on Friday morning.

Trustees elected for schools

At the recommendation of the BGCT Committee on Nominations for Boards of Affiliated Ministries, the Executive Board elected trustees to the boards of five Texas Baptist schools:

• Dean Dickens of South Garland Baptist Church, Rhoda Gonzales of North Dallas Family Church, Luis Campos and Vinson Smith of South Main Baptist Church in Houston, and Van Christian of First Baptist Church in Comanche to Baptist University of the Américas.
• Clois Smith of Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston to Houston Baptist University.
• Danny Dawdy of First Baptist Church in Marble Falls, Dorothy Renfrow of First Baptist Church in San Marcos and Steven Gaither of First Baptist Church in Gonzales to San Marcos Baptist Academy.
• Betty Burns of First Baptist Church in Plano to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
• Sarah (Sally) Eaves of First Baptist Church in Plainview to Wayland Baptist University.

In other business, the board:

• Approved an amendment to the BGCT retirement account plan with GuideStone Financial Resources to unbundle fees paid by plan participants. Due to the size of assets BGCT has in its retirement plan, servicing fees would be less in the unbundled option than participants currently pay.
• Agreed to add proceeds from the Hale-Moore Fund to the BGCT New Church Fund at HighGround Advisors, which is expected to provide an additional $23,000 for new churches annually.
• Selected Tommy Johnston of First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, Bobby Bressman of First Baptist Church in Center, Chris Cook of Westbury Baptist Church in Houston, Randy Bigbee of First Baptist Church in Chappell Hill and Frank Urias of Living Stone Baptist Church in New Braunfels to fill vacancies on the BGCT Executive Board.
• Elected Ted Woods of Living Word Fellowship Church in Dallas to fill a vacancy on the Christian Life Commission.
• Filled council vacancies by electing Linda Templin of First Baptist Church in Arlington to the Baptist Student Ministry Council; Bruce Lampert of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene to the Chaplaincy Endorsement Council; Leonard Hatcher of Oasis Baptist Church in Dallas to the Connections Council; Laura Edmondson of First Baptist Church in Saginaw to the Missions Funding Council; and Nicholas Swinford of Cross Brand Cowboy Church in Tyler to the Western Heritage Council.

LUFKIN—An East Texas pastor’s wife launched a community ministry to recover and repurpose food that otherwise would have gone to waste.

Aurelia Newton started Second Helpings to address food insecurity in Angelina County and reduce waste at Lufkin school campus cafeterias.

Three years ago, when her husband Mark became pastor of First Baptist Church in Lufkin, she became aware that a significant number of families and individuals in their community lacked reliable access to food.

So, she decided to do something about it, modeling a Lufkin-based ministry after the Campus Kitchen program at Baylor University, which recovers food from on-campus dining halls and transports it to Waco-area ministries that feed hungry people.

Reduce waste, feed hungry people

In 2016, 10 volunteers from First Baptist Church in Lufkin started Second Helpings with prayer and a few aluminum sheet pans.

After visiting with the local school board and principals of local schools, Second Helpings received permission to collect prepared but unserved cafeteria food, such as pans of green beans or macaroni and cheese, and distribute it to families and groups in need.

Currently, about 110 volunteers from throughout the community pick up and deliver food. Second Helpings—now a not-for-profit organization separate from First Baptist Church, but still strongly supported by the congregation—has provided about 140,000 meals through the local Salvation Army, Family Crisis Center and other agencies in Angelina County.

In addition, Aurelia Newton also has launched a backpack program to provide weekend meals for students who depend on free or reduced lunch programs on school days. It’s a familiar ministry to her. In San Marcos, where her husband was pastor of First Baptist Church for 14 years, she was instrumental in launching the School Fuel program

“We work with school counselors to identify students who need weekend backpacks or family rations,” she said.  “We want to be in every school in our area. One of our challenges is how to get groceries to every family in the community who need this resource.”

Volunteer-driven ministry

Volunteers begin by picking up insulated boxes to transport food at a proper and safe temperature. They drive to a designated school campus and load food, which already has been placed in sealed disposable pans. Then they deliver the food to a recipient—either an agency or directly to a family.

“Whatever we do, our group prays over the food and backpacks,” said Becca Chance, vice president of Second Helpings. “We have school board members and retired teachers. These people have been in the schools. … They know the effects of children not having enough food.”

Research clearly links hunger to academic and behavioral problems. Students’ attention span lessens and retention decreases when they are hungry.

Second Helpings operates frugally. Volunteers cover their own expenses for transporting the food. Warehouse space is donated for non-perishable food storage. Three freezers and one refrigerator hold perishable items.

In addition to serving half-way houses, senior centers and other agencies, Second Helpings also seeks to meet the needs of people who otherwise my fall through holes in social safety nets, such as a woman who had cancer, two children at home and a husband who worked as her fulltime caregiver.

‘Making a difference in the lives of people’

Lufkin’s Family Crisis Center wrote in a note to Newton: “We benefit in such a big way from the donations provided by Second Helpings. Our clients are provided three meals a day. To have a donation of nutritious prepared food for our clients is a huge time-saver for our staff. Also, we are a nonprofit making the reduction in the cost or grocery bill a true gift. Our partnership is amazing. We are very grateful for Second Helpings.”

Inez Tims with the Senior Living Apartments receives donations of food from Second Helpings. She wrote: “For our residents who do not have a home care provider or are able to function with day-to-day activities, Second Helpings is a Godsend by providing a hot balanced meal. Their service is truly appreciated, and we thank them for having and demonstrating a caring, giving and thoughtful spirit. Their actions are the example we all need to follow.”

Newton believes programs similar to Second Helpings could be replicated by churches throughout Texas.

“Second Helpings is making a difference in the lives of people in the San Marcos area,” she said. “Jesus tells his disciples in John 21:15-17 to ‘feed my sheep.’ We try to love people and be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Read more articles like this in CommonCall magazine. CommonCall explores issues important to Christians and features inspiring stories about disciples of Jesus living out their faith. An annual subscription is only $24 and comes with two free subscriptions to the Baptist Standard. To subscribe to CommonCall, click here.

This is part of an ongoing series about how Christians respond to hunger and poverty. Substantive coverage of significant issues facing Texas Baptists is made possible in part by a grant from the Prichard Family Foundation.

WACO—The Big 12 Conference verified Baylor University has implemented recommended policy changes regarding sexual assault, but it fined the school $2 million for damaging the conference’s reputation.

The conference board of directors announced  Oct. 30 it unanimously accepted and adopted an independent verification report saying Baylor had “structurally completed and practically implemented” all 105 recommendations made by attorneys formerly with the Pepper Hamilton firm. The report also affirmed Baylor’s compliance with relevant conference bylaws.

Baylor President Linda Livingstone called the announcement “another testament to Baylor’s unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff through our training, education and response efforts within a caring community.”

“This is now the second external verification of our completion of the 105 recommendations, which have already helped the university prevent and respond to reports of sexual assault and interpersonal violence on our campus,” Livingstone said.

The attorneys who conducted the original investigation into how Baylor responded to sexual violence issued a report one year ago verifying that Baylor had implemented the 105 recommendations they made.

Also, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges—the accrediting agency that placed Baylor on a one-year warning for noncompliance—found the university had implemented all recommendations to protect student safety, provide administrative control over athletics and respond to sexual violence, and it removed its sanction.

According to the Big 12 report, the verification team reviewed more than 600 documents provided by Baylor, interviewed about 100 individuals in person and conducted more than 70 phone interviews. The interviews included members of Baylor’s senior administration, athletic department, Title IX office, human resources office, faculty and law enforcement.

“Since May of 2016, Baylor has invested considerable resources and effort to implement the recommendations,” the report noted.

Key conclusions include:

• Baylor “appears to have provided its new Title IX coordinator with sufficient autonomy and authority to perform her job.”
• “Many good things are occurring on Baylor’s campus to change attitudes, increase student support, and put in place the policies, procedures and resources necessary to increase student safety and welfare, including making Title IX education and training a prominent part of the community culture.”
• Baylor increased its 2017 Title IX office budget to nearly five times its 2015 budget.
• Baylor’s athletic department has incorporated “four pillars” into its training program—academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth. “The character formation program focuses on life skills, social responsibility and respectful relationships,” the report noted.
• The university’s board of regents responded to 35 task force recommendations regarding governance. These included forming an executive committee, dissolving the board’s longstanding athletics committee and restructuring its committees to separate powers and responsibility and to reduce the risk of potential conflicts of interest. Streamlined board and committee meetings “reduced the risk of micromanagement by the board,” the report noted.

Big 12 will stop withholding future funds

The Big 12 Conference lifted all sanctions and will stop withholding additional funds. In February 2017, the conference board voted to withhold 25 percent of future revenue distribution payments to the university pending the outcome of the verification review of changes to Baylor’s procedures and policies, particularly regarding its athletic programs.

The conference reported it has withheld $14,255,000. From that amount, Baylor will reimburse the Big 12 for more than $1.65 million in legal costs.

The remaining $12.6 million will be held in an investment account four years. Net earnings from the investments will be distributed in equal portions to member schools in the conference to fund prevention efforts focused on sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, as well as educational efforts regarding healthy relationships, LGBTQ discrimination and bystander awareness, the conference announced.

After four years, the Big 12 board will determine how much money to return to Baylor—minus a $2 million fine “for reputational damage to the conference and its members.”

Baylor still faces investigations by the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education.